‘ We were all sorry to leave Pakefield and it’s people, it was home from home.’
Gus Dalgliesh KOSB
Our home behind the shop was ‘open house’ to the soldiers and sailors stationed around our village. We had no books at home and the stories which filled my young head were told to me by some of these men who, far away from their own children, perhaps gained some comfort from sharing stories with a little boy drifting off to sleep. At Christmas, my mother would invite soldiers and sailors to join us in our family celebrations. Many of these men left for ‘overseas’ shortly after and, for some sadly, this would be their last Christmas. For those young men, our shop, front room and kitchen became the nearest they had to a home from home, and many continued to send mum cards and letters after the war was over. One soldier in particular, Gus Dalgliesh, stayed in touch with me for many years and visited me and my family in Cornwall long after my mother’s death. Memories of mum’s shop continue to pop up in my work. It features in the Dickensian street of A Christmas Carol and as Mr Badger’s shop in Terry Jones’ Animal Tales – Bull’s Eyes on the counter, the old copper scales, windows full of fruit and the wobbly steps – all memories of a lucky, lucky childhood.
‘Christmas night, 1942: I remember looking back into the room as Mother carried me to the stairs. A sea of faces in the smoke. They were dressed as soldiers and sailors but wearing paper hats. Other boys’ fathers, sitting round our table wishing it was their little boy they had kissed goodnight.’
‘ Received your letter with the very sad news of your mother’s passing, and with sadness in my heart her passing has left me with a little emptiness. But I am honoured to have shared in her friendliness among so many, for so many years. She was held in high esteem by her boys who frequented the wee shop on the corner, for their sweets, cigs, a coffee and a wee motherly chat – and when we have our reunion this year we will remember her.’
Gus Dalgliesh KOSB, May 1982
18
19
‘ We were all sorry to leave Pakefield and it’s people, it was home from home.’
Gus Dalgliesh KOSB
Our home behind the shop was ‘open house’ to the soldiers and sailors stationed around our village. We had no books at home and the stories which filled my young head were told to me by some of these men who, far away from their own children, perhaps gained some comfort from sharing stories with a little boy drifting off to sleep. At Christmas, my mother would invite soldiers and sailors to join us in our family celebrations. Many of these men left for ‘overseas’ shortly after and, for some sadly, this would be their last Christmas. For those young men, our shop, front room and kitchen became the nearest they had to a home from home, and many continued to send mum cards and letters after the war was over. One soldier in particular, Gus Dalgliesh, stayed in touch with me for many years and visited me and my family in Cornwall long after my mother’s death. Memories of mum’s shop continue to pop up in my work. It features in the Dickensian street of A Christmas Carol and as Mr Badger’s shop in Terry Jones’ Animal Tales – Bull’s Eyes on the counter, the old copper scales, windows full of fruit and the wobbly steps – all memories of a lucky, lucky childhood.
‘Christmas night, 1942: I remember looking back into the room as Mother carried me to the stairs. A sea of faces in the smoke. They were dressed as soldiers and sailors but wearing paper hats. Other boys’ fathers, sitting round our table wishing it was their little boy they had kissed goodnight.’
‘ Received your letter with the very sad news of your mother’s passing, and with sadness in my heart her passing has left me with a little emptiness. But I am honoured to have shared in her friendliness among so many, for so many years. She was held in high esteem by her boys who frequented the wee shop on the corner, for their sweets, cigs, a coffee and a wee motherly chat – and when we have our reunion this year we will remember her.’
Gus Dalgliesh KOSB, May 1982
18
19
‘Michael Foreman is the complete story-maker, words and drawings in harmony, a seamless fusion, born out of supreme skill and of a natural spontaneity that is the hallmark of a truly great storyteller.’ Michael Morpurgo
Michael Foreman’s work can be found on countless bookshelves across the world and has had a profound impact on illustration. This long-awaited retrospective traces his life as an artist and master storyteller for the first time, through a mix of entertaining anecdotes and stunning images. The range and depth of his work is matched by the extraordinary variety of his experiences. From his much-loved, award-winning wartime tales War Boy and War Game to his many collaborations with his friends Terry Jones and Michael Morpurgo, his passion for observing and illustrating the world with humour and poignancy has never faded.
ART
UK £25.00
www.pavilionbooks.com